Living through the screen: Social media use and embodiment in youth

Abstract

The present study examined the association between social media use and embodiment among adolescents, as well as whether sleep duration, physical activity, and maladaptive emotion regulation functioned as potential mediators of this association and whether these pathways differed by gender. Participants were 171 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years (Mage = 15.06, SD = 1.39; 63.7% girls, 5.3% gender diverse youth) enrolled in a 14-day intensive longitudinal study; the present analyses used aggregated between-person data from baseline scores and a 7-day daily diary protocol. These data were analyzed using a moderated parallel mediation model. Greater social media use was significantly associated with lower embodiment and with higher maladaptive emotion regulation. Greater maladaptive emotion regulation was also significantly associated with lower embodiment. Sleep and physical activity were not significantly associated with social media use or embodiment. None of the indirect effects through sleep, physical activity, or maladaptive emotion regulation were statistically significant, and these indirect effects did not differ by gender. These findings suggest that greater social media use is linked to lower embodiment in adolescence and highlights maladaptive emotion regulation as a relevant factor in this association.Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA)UndergraduateReviewe